Crossan's methodology

There are two main strategies Crossan uses when it comes to using texts that report directly on Jesus' life.

-Only use materials that he dates between 30-60CE.

-To never base any insight on Jesus; life that has only a single independent attestation.

This means that there needs to be more than one early source for the same event before Crossan will consider it as a possible evidence for Jesus' life.

Apocryphal Gospels=Writigs about Jesus that aren't accepted by the Church. Some may exist as complete documents and others as fragments in early Christian writings. 

Crossn relies heavily on the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of sayings by Jesus…